A list of all transfers, sponsor news and gear changes for 2016:

  • Pozo local Dario Ojeda got industry support from the windsurfing industry. He now got the place from Dany Bruch at Challenger Sails and as well will ride for 99 NoveNove.
  • French/Caribbean racer and wave rider Julien Quentel from St. Martin leaves RRD/NeilPryde and will race on Patrik/Avanti Sails in 2016.
  • UK freestyler Max Rowe will not be with Fanatic/NorthSails in 2016, although he was in charge for the development of the freestyle sail for three years. He returns to one of his former sponsors SimmerStyle.
  • Medano local Dany Bruch leaves Challenger Sails and will be part of the Flight Sails team. Flight is an independent brand owned by Bart David, José Fernandez and Bjørn De Vos,  Tenerife, Canary islands. The new sail brand was founded 2 years ago in a local beach bar. The first sail line is called Zorro, produced in Sri Lanka. 

    Dany Bruch: “Yes! I am very proud to announce my change to Flight Sails! It all came together real quick to be honest! Some of my best friends started this new sail brand 2 years ago. They started building prototypes and testing and developing them right at my home beach of El Cabezo. I had tried a few of their sails before, until I tried their last version and the final production sail of the Zorro just some weeks ago and could not stop sailing it! I instantly knew this was the missing key I need to be back in the top 5 of the PWA Wave Rankings! The handling of the sail, the controlled power, the weight, the reactivity and the explosion to fly high is amazingly great!! I just couldn’t stop using them, so I needed to make a move! It’s also a really great opportunity for me to keep on developing sails for future! What could be better then having a prototype at the beach, that you can modify instantly on the spot to keep on testing and developing? There is no better development than that! Expect more great products from Flight Sails to be coming real soon!!” 

  • Josh Angulo will not be on Gun Sails in 2016. The two times wave World Champion and top racer will be on NeilPryde sails in 2016.
  • Dutch freestyler from the Brouwersdam Rick Jendrusch will not be on F2 anymore in 2016. “After 4 years with F2 I will stop my partnership with F2. I had to make this decision as it was not possible to get the needs I needed to do what I wanted to do and that’s windsurfing. I had a good time the last five years with F2 and I want to thank the whole team and brand but especially Daniel Aeberli for getting me into this brand in 2011 and making my first own RJ pro model board. Thanks to Dirk and Bart for the support and help during the last years.” Rick Jendrusch
  • UK wave rider Phil Horrocks is not with Gaastra/Tabou anymore. The collaboration ended after 5 years.“On a competitive front it’s been my most successful spell yet, some good contest wins and a couple of British wave titles erasing the memories of the first round knockouts you inevitably get! Above all, some amazing sailing has been had which is what it’s all about.. and here’s a few pics from a few special moments on that journey. So I leave Gaastra and Tabou a more accomplished sailor, having had some of the best years sailing of my life and appreciative of everything we achieved together.”
  • German top racer Vincent Langer left Point-7 after 5 years of collaboration and now will ride under the flag of NorthSails: “I have been with Point7 for 5 years now and a change was overdue. Thanks to the good cooperation with Fanatic it was simply an easy decision to choose NorthSails. I am so happy having made this step and I am looking forward a lot to the season „in white“.” NorthSails now has the two fastest German riders in their team: Gunnar Asmussen and Vincent Langer
  • French freestyler and wave rider Nicolas Akgazciyan – number 4 in the 2015 PWA freestyle overall ranking – left Point-7 after 4 years of collaboration and joins the team of Challenger Sails: “I chose to change because I think it was the time for me to see new horizons and discover something else in my career. My aim is to keep my motivation growing and to share my knowledge with CHS. I know Claudio Badiali (owner and sail maker of Challenger Sails) since a few years back and I was pleased working with him in the past whilst in cooperation with my sails sponsor when he was designing sails for them.” Nico completes the CHS team with Pascal Toselli in Slalom and Dany Bruch in the wave discipline. Read more about the change here
  • Turkish top female racer and windsurfing school owner Lena Erdil left Patrik and joins Starboard, read the full interview with Lena
  • Top German freestyler Adi Beholz left Fanatic and announced a new partnership with Patrik for 2016
  • Hard-charging water lady Fiona Wylde re-joins her former sail sponsor Sailworks and leaves Goya Sails
  • Gunnar Asmussen, German racer & former IFCA World Champion leaves Patrik and will be on Starboard boards in 2016
  • Bruno Martini left RRD sails and will be on Point-7 and on Starboard in 2016
  • Fabio Calo, editor in chief of 4windsurf and 2015 Italian wave champion, left Starboard after a long partnership and joined 99NoveNove
  • Patrik Diethelm joined Sailloft Hamburg, he leaves Loft Sails after three years
  • Maui based rider Bernd Roediger left Quatro/Goya and changed to Naish just before the Aloha Classic 2015
  • Pozo local Eleazar Alonso is on Starboard/Severne, he was on Tabou/Gaastra last year
  • Nicolas Warembourg left Loftsails and will be on JP/NeilPryde
  • Maciek Rutkowski left Patrik and Point-7 and he joins the Gaastra and Tabou team in 2016.
  • The Italian freestyle windsurfer Marco Vinante joins Point-7 and will compete on the EFPT and PWA freestyle tour.
  • Dieter van der Eyken joined the fin company Black Project Hawaii and together they are currently working on Dieter’s new signature fin series
  • French racer Damien Le Guen joined JP-Australia/NeilPryde and left Exocet/XO-Sails
  • Young talented French rider Benjamin Auge left RRD and joined Patrik and Sailloft Hamburg
  • French Julien Taboulet left Naish, joined Goya and will return on tour in 2016, Read the interview with Julien Taboulet
  • Maxime van Gent from Bonaire left Fanatic/NorthSails and joins JP-Australia/NeilPryde
  • Matteo Iachino left Fanatic/NorthSails and is on Starboard/Point-7 for 2016: “I’ll try not to put any goal. I’m where I wanted to be and now I just need to put everything together and do my best in every single race I’ll compete in… then we will see…” Matteo Iachino about 2016  “He did not have a back ground of RSX or Techno class or any of those young racing experiences. He just loved windsurfing and wanted to do something more than just having fun. We helped him with a small sponsorship, and directly won his first Junior title in the Italian National Championship.” Andrea Cucchi about the early days. Read an interview by Point-7 an interview by Starboard with Matteo Iachino 
  • Arrianne Aukes left RRD/Simmer and joined Fanatic/NorthSails/ION
  • Turkish Slalom rider Cagla Kubat joins Point-7
  • Australian Steve Allen joins Patrik and leaves Starboard and will work in the R&D for Patrik
  • Diony Guadagnino from Isla Margarita joins Monty’s Loftsails and leaves HotSailsMaui
  • Dutch Jordy Vonk joins Fanatic, NorthSails & Ion and leaves Starboard/Point-7
  • French rider Valentin Brault leaves Exocet & XO Sails, joins JP-Australia International and SimmerStyle is ready for the PWA season
  • Tom Juban, the younger brother of Camille Juban, is with Quatro/Goya
  • Sarah Hebert is not on Naish boards anymore, she joins Fanatic
  • Klaas Voget leaves Simmer and joins NorthSails: “I’m sailing on Fanatic Boards since I’ve started windsurfing and with my close relationship with the brand, the relationship to North Sails also got closer and closer over the years, as both brands are working hand in hand within the Boards & More group. We’ve had several talks over the years about this move and for 2016 it was finally the right time.”
  • Young German racer Nico Prien joins JP-Australia/NeilPryde & NP and leaves Fanatic/NorthSails
  • New Caledonian Antoine Albert joined Goya (boards/sails) and left Tabou/Gasstra
  • Nicolas Goyard joins Point-7 as his new sail sponsor and leaves Loftsails, but will stay with RRD
  • Talented 18 year old Aruban Slalom racer Ethan Westera leaves Starboard and re-joins JP-Australia and continues with Gaastra
  • Dutch Jazzy Zwerus (20) made it into the international team of JP-Australia and NeilPryde
  • Dutch Slalom racer Ester de Geus (24) leaves 99NoveNove and joins JP-Australia
  • Brazilian Mateus Isaac (21) will sail under the flag of JP-Australia again
  • Dutch speed machines Hans Kreisel (30) and Jaques v. d. Hout (43)  are in the international team of JP-Australia
  • Tonky Frans (32) leaves Tabou/Gaastra and joins Patrik/Sailloft Hamburg. He now is in the freestyle team with Adam Sims and Adi Beholz:  “In the past I have been on Patrik shapes and he made me some really amazing boards that made me perform really good and I am convinced he is one of the best shapers! SAILLOFT has a high reputation with their sails in the international freestyle scene. I had a cool visit in the loft in Hamburg. It´s amazing to talk with the sail designers Olaf and Gerrit about the development. I never lost the hope to crone myself with a freestyle world champion title. Maybe it will take me more than 10 years but I still believe that I can get the title….“ Interview with Tonky Frans
  • Kiwi Laurence Carey, who made his first PWA winners final in New Caledonia joins Fanatic and still goes with NorthSails, he leaves Starboard. He already tested his new boards at smaller Lyttelton near Christchurch.
  • Finian Maynard will be on Gun Sails in 2016 and will work in the sail development, too
  • Pascal Toselli leaves Point-7 and will be using ChallengerSails
  • Camille Juban joins SimmerStyle and will use their sails. Link: Interview with Camille Juban
  • Justin Denel returned to SimmerStyle (sails & boards) and left RRD completely
  • Alexandre Cousin left Loftsails and joined Sailloft Hamburg, he stays with Patrik boards: „I decided to start a new era with Sailloft. The team is absolutely motivated and they really keep pushing to be successful in the Slalom PWA World Tour. I tested the sails and they work very well. As Patrik Diethelm is in the team too we can work together on sails and boards. My goal is the podium for the first events of the year.“
  • Moritz Mauch, two times youth PWA wave world champion, leaves Starboard and joins Severne boards, he now is 100 % on Severne for windsurfing, but will stay on Starboard for the SUP discipline
  • Brazilian racer Gabriel Browne will race under the flag of MauiSails

 

 

More rumors are around:

Micah Buzianis will join S2Maui.

But as already mentioned none of these rumors is confirmed.

The transfers in 2016 show a few strong new collaborations. Patrik and Sailloft Hamburg – they got a lot of new teamriders with Patrik Diethelm, Adi Beholz, Tonky Frans, Alexandre Cousin or Benjamin Auge – or 99NoveNove with ChallengerSails. The big brands didn’t change too much, just reduced their teams a bit. The transfer of Matteo Iachino from Fanatic/NorthSails to Starboard/Point-7 was definitely one of the biggest in 2016.

 

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